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Who Dares to Speak of Staff Success in Universities?

With an annual budget of approximately $1.5 billion in 2021-22, Michigan State University, established in East Lansing Michigan in 1855, is one of the largest research universities in the U.S. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, more than 200 departments and programs, and roughly 50,000 students, it is one of the 65 members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a prestigious alliance renowned for its research-centric universities. Known as a 'Public Ivy', the university, which ranked 93rd in the 2022 THE World University Rankings, has a unique aspect in its 'MSU 2030 Strategic Plan' released in 2020.

This 36-page document is divided into six themes. The first is 'student success', which is listed first based on the priorities that Michigan State University considers important. Given the primary identity of the university as an educational institution, this is a natural outcome. However, unlike the terms 'cultivating' or 'producing', often used in the visions of domestic universities, which focus on the period of time a student stays in college or the moment they graduate, it's worth noting that they employ the concept of 'success', a comparatively long-term objective that one needs to strive for persistently in life after graduation. They believe that the foremost task of the university is not just to 'send excellent talents into the world', but to assist them in achieving success in their individual lives in the long term.

However, what is more captivating is the second theme, 'staff and faculty success'. Michigan State University states, "Excellent professors and staff are our university's largest investment and most important asset. If we do not put forth an equally substantive effort into the well-being of staff and faculty, efforts to support student success, meet community expectations, and solve the challenges of a changing world are hollow." They express a commitment to "supporting their career development and welfare, creating a workplace culture and environment that is among the best in its class for excellence and opportunity to flourish," and furthermore, "providing opportunities for continuous growth and development in the process where efforts to create meaningful lives for them and their families are integrated with career goals." 

Considering the reality in our country where the concept of student success is still not fully mature, the strategic report from this university, which proudly positions the success of everyone employed at the university, including staff and faculty, as a core value, sounds exotic.

Universities, carrying a vital societal responsibility in higher education, find it inappropriate, if not unfeasible, to place anything above the nurturing of talent through superior educational content and services, and facilitating their life success. The function of universities, transcending cultural differences between East and West, has been and continues to be a sanctuary for imparting and acquiring knowledge. However, the novel idea of attributing similar importance to the development of all university staff, mirroring that given to student success, offers fresh insights. This perspective sheds light on the prospective transformation that universities should aspire to in the future.

While the universities of the past focused on scholarly elements like the exploration of truth and the creation of knowledge, current universities emphasize their function as a 'hub', forming relationships with and communicating with diverse stakeholders, contributing to the global civil society. So, what should the universities of the future be like? 

Professor Joon Heo, who served as the head of the Open Smart Education Center at Yonsei University, introduces the concept of a 'platform university' in his book 'The Past and Future of the University'. The idea is that the university should transform into a venue where various social participants can freely form networks and generate new value. On this platform, multidimensional interaction, mutual prosperity, and collaborative/collective growth become the core elements and objectives.

In a university that has evolved from an 'educational institution that cultivates and produces students' to a 'value-creation platform', the relationships and networks of key stakeholders such as students, professors, staff, and the international and local communities, government and local authorities, companies and research institutes, parents, graduates, donors, with whom they all have close ties, are essentially horizontal. All participants on the platform, within the dynamic space of the university, continue to create new ideas and values through dynamic communication and interaction tailored to their own expectations. 

The ultimate goal of this process should be the 'success' that each is aiming for, according to their needs, objectives, and purpose. In the context of this discussion, 'success' is not a uniform concept like acquiring influence, ascending in status, or making a fortune, but the purpose of life that each person defines and pursues from a pluralistic viewpoint. What they pursue in life all carry equal value, and the university is tasked with considering, supporting, and guiding their 'success'.

Let's revisit the age-old question: 'Who owns the university?' 

Is it the students, the professors, the staff, or some others? Let's now expand the concept and scope of the university as an 'open network platform shared by stakeholders'. Then let's search for the answer to the question above once again.

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*Disclaimer

This content is a translation of an article composed in Korean language, which was published in November 2022 on the University News Network, a premier media outlet in South Korea dedicated to higher education. For the original article, please visit http://news.unn.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=536733.


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